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Leaving Kansas City | Kansas Coronavirus Researcher | Nelson-Atkins Reopening

Raised in Grandview, Missouri, college student Olivia Williams is not planning on returning to the Kansas City area once she graduates.
Courtesy of Olivia Williams
Raised in Grandview, Missouri, college student Olivia Williams is not planning on returning to the Kansas City area once she graduates.

Why one Black woman from the Kansas City area plans to leave upon graduating, a University of Kansas professor's research follows a possible path to disrupting the coronavirus, and how Kansas City's largest art museum will welcome visitors once again.

Segment 1, beginning at 3:58: Can Kansas City make itself a place where young Black people want to stay?

Grandview native Olivia Williams has her sights set on Atlanta after graduation, because she feels it's more welcoming to young Black women like her. She wrote about it in a blog post for the Kauffman Foundation, and detailed three steps Kansas City needs to take to make itself a place she'll want to stay.

Segment 2, beginning at 21:09: KU researcher says an enzyme may be key to interfering with COVID-19's ability to infect.

When Anthony Fehr began studying coronaviruses in 2012 he was one of about 100 people studying them full time. Now, he’s one of many trying to figure out how to stop a virus that’s proven to be more contagious than expected.

  • Anthony Fehr, coronavirus researcher and assistant professor of molecular biosciences at the University of Kansas

Segment 3, beginning at 39:18: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art can reopen safely based on CDC recommendations, "provided everyone follows ... those procedures," the director says.

The Nelson-Atkins' large galleries and good are filtration and circulation make it a relatively safe option if you're looking to get out of the house, according to the museum's director. Beginning Sept. 12, the museum will reopen to the public, but timed tickets, face masks and social distancing will all be required.

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
Mackenzie Martin is a senior podcast producer at KCUR Studios and host of the podcast, A People's History of Kansas City. Contact her at mackenzie@kcur.org.
As senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Reach me at alexanderdk@kcur.org.